“Asda is planning to build 40 major superstores and well as a further 100 new supermarkets.The expansion plan will also include 150 forecourt shops. Two-thirds will be in the south east, London, Cornwall and Devon.”

Exeter, Honiton, maybe Exmouth, could fight it out with Morrisons in Sidmouth? Will Asda replace Tesco as our council’s favourite supermarket chain!

One paragraph: Seasides were always about taking money off holidaymakers, but Thatcherism has pushed the tide out way too far. Today, it’s too often about “profit centres”: if this piece of land on the seafront doesn’t make a big enough profit, let’s build something else on it, even if that means destroying the character of the resort. In my 1979 AA Guide, Exmouth is described as a place that has “all the amenities of a popular resort whilst remaining free from excessive commercialisation”. That just about holds true today, but won’t for much longer if East Devon District Council gets its way. Despite a petition that raised 10,000 signatures, the council has sold Elizabeth Hall, a popular community facility on the esplanade that dates from the Victorian era. It will be demolished and replaced by a four-storey hotel. The council’s “masterplan” for the redevelopment of the seafront includes more “retail areas” and “a large privately-run play and recreation area.

But no mention in the press release of consulting the people of Exmouth about whether they think this is a good use of the money. And what happened to private investment – the mantra we constantly hear about?